Enjoy a swim at Beccles Lido - an outdoor pool near the River Waveney

What better way to keep the children entertained during the school holidays
than by going for a swim. So that's exactly what we did when the kids broke up from school.

Fortunately the weather is still good, which is handy, because we were off to Beccles Lido.

Outside Beccles Lido - the sun is about to break through, I'm sure of it

The outdoor swimming pool, or lido, has been around for years. To be exact, the start of outdoor swimming here goes back to
1873, when a dressing room was erected for people to swim in the river; with the current pool being built in 1959.
In 2006 the lido was transferred from council ownership into a charity specifically set-up to run the pool. We've
been going to the Beccles Lido since both children were young - and the pool was beginning to show signs
of not having enough money spent on it to keep it up to scratch. Fortunately since the charity has taken over the swimming pool
and surrounding grounds have been greatly improved.

We went for an early morning swim, so got "off-peak" tickets - available to anyone entering the lido before 10am. With a family ticket (2 adults and 3 children)
costing us £12. There are three pools to use at the lido: a small paddling pool; a pool for youngsters; and the main attraction - a
30 metre x 15 metre swimming pool. A couple of lanes were roped off for the serious swimmers, with the rest of the pool open to us just wanting to
muck about.

The pool has a small diving board; not the sort you'll see Tom Daley diving from - but a smaller affair, about a metre from the water.
You don't even need to dive to use this board. The youngsters were doing star jumps, back flips and the occasional dive - whatever takes your fancy.

There's a lawned area around the edge of the lido, with chairs, tables and sun loungers. So There's no need to go for a quick swim and scoot off; stay
and get a tea or coffee in the snack shop - then, maybe, go for another swim.

Beccles Lido can be found next to the River Waveney - which itself is a nice place to visit. The video above shows the stretch of
water outside Beccles Lido. The town centre is close by too - being only a 2 minute walk.

Parking at the lido is a bit of a nightmare though; however, we parked at Tesco, and walked to the pool in 7 minutes (yes, I timed it...)

Whether you're a local, or in the east Suffolk/Norfolk area on holiday, Beccles Lido is a good place to while away a couple of hours.

If the thought of a villa holiday sounds good - but you've got children in tow, have a look at villa resorts which combine the advantages of having your own villa with the advantages of a resort's facilities.

Find a selection of holiday cottage in Beccles, Suffolk. The cottages of Riverside House, Butterfield House, Northgate Bakery, Honeysuckle Cottage and Burnt Hill House all have a video showing their location in Beccles.

Try a villa holiday in Europe and the Mediterranean during March, April and May. James Villas Spring Holidays is the place to look - and if you get in early enough you could get a bargain in the James Villa Holidays Half Price Sale.

Located next to the beach and surrounded by the Lagoa dos Salgados Lagoon and nature reserve, Vidamar Algarve Resort is a villa resort with holiday villas sleeping between 4 and 8 people. All villas at Vidamar Algarve Resort have their own pool.

A fabulous day out, the Falkirk Wheel links the Union Canal with the Forth and Clyde Canal. You have a variety of attractions at the Falkirk Wheel, including an Archimedes Screw, hire a cycle, paddle boats, or just a nice walk.

See the sights from the top of the Nevis Range in Scotland. Take a gondola up the mountain, and get some views from the Sgurr Finnisg-aig view point. You can always cycle down too - or take the cable car back down again.